Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.

44Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.”

Luke 24:36b-48

… we need again to recognize that to develop the best humanity,

the best spirit, the best community, there needs to be discipline,

practices of exploring how do you do that,

how do we work together,

how do we talk together in ways that will open up

our best capacities and our best gifts.

~ Vincent Harding. 

 

 

 

The moments when we meet and reckon with contradictions

are turning points where we

either enter or evade the mystery of God.

~ Parker Palmer

Forgiveness does not change the past,

but it does enlarge the future.

~ Paul Boese

The late Lewis Smedes wrote a powerful book entitled Forgiveness: Healing the Hurt We Don’t Deserve. He shares several principles about forgiveness.

   

The Art of Forgiveness … by Lewis Smedes

• The most creative power given to human spirit is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change.
• We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds; what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.
• The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it.
• Forgiving happens in three stages: We rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us, we surrender our right to get even, and we wish that person well.
• We forgive people only for what they do, never for what they are.
• We forgive people only for wounding and wronging us; we do not forgive people for things we do not blame them for.
• We cannot forgive a wrong unless we first blame the person who wronged us.
• Forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.
• Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our trust.
• We do not forgive because we are supposed to; we forgive when we ready to be healed.
• Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.
• Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal pain.
• Forgiving is done best when it is done intolerantly.
• Forgiving someone who breaks a trust does not mean that we give him his job back.
• Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.
• Forgivers are not doormats; to forgive a person is not a signal that we are willing to put up with what he does.
• We do not excuse the person we forgive; we blame the person we forgive.
• Forgiving is essential; talking about it is optional.
• When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner we set free is us.
• When we forgive we walk in stride with the forgiving God.

http://fbctlh.org/2014/10/03/forgiveness-2

First Reading Acts 3:12-19

12When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

17“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out/”

Psalm 4:1-8

1   Answer me when I call, O God of my right! 
          You gave me room when I was in distress. 
          Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

2   How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? 
          How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?                Selah 
3   But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; 
          the LORD hears when I call to him.

4   When you are disturbed, do not sin; 
          ponder it on your beds, and be silent.                                                  Selah 
5   Offer right sacrifices, 
          and put your trust in the LORD.

6   There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! 
          Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!” 
7   You have put gladness in my heart 
          more than when their grain and wine abound.

8   I will both lie down and sleep in peace; 
          for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

Second Reading 1 John 3:1-7

1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Gospel Luke 24:36b-48

Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.

44Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.”